Earlier this week I got a few things off my chest about how Teachers in Texas seem to draw the short straw every time. What it boils down to is they are on the front lines working with our kids with limited resources and pay that doesn't always reflect that.

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Here's one for you... Did you know that much of what is up on the walls of your childs classroom may have not been paid for by the school? Your teacher fills the gap. something missing in their supplies? more often than not, the teacher may out of pocket cost a box of crayons or paper just so a student doesn't fall behind. It's a noble thing but any teacher can tell you they aren't doing it for the money, because according to the TEA, the average Teacher in Texas makes 53,000. The key takeaway here is "Average" because if you had that teacher who taught you right... you know that an average is the middle ground between two points. and this is of course before all the deducts... Taxes, Health, Teacher Retirement, Take your pick, so lets say you're really taking home about 40-42,000 of that.

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That ain't livin'. In fact for many educators a second job is often the solution to help slack up expenses. For one representative going to Austin a 70,000 paycheck is a reality that he would like to introduce with House Bill 3580. James Talarico out of Round Rock made it pretty clear:

“No teacher should have to work 2 jobs to keep the lights on. As a former teacher, I watched my coworkers drive for Uber at night and sell their blood plasma for extra money,” said Talarico. “In only 12 months, our teachers have endured a global pandemic, an economic collapse, and a deadly winter storm. I’m filing HB 3580 mandating a minimum salary of $70,000 for every teacher in Texas because our educators deserve nothing less.

The proposed bill still has to make it to the floor and has cost of living increases factored into it over time. It's a good start. Many of us are good at multi tasking but when it comes to our kids I'd like someone who is 100% focused and not having to worry about a second job or weather they can make their mortgage. Teachers deserve that. They make us who we are today and that is an accomplishment that should be celebrated.

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